• IN YOUR OWN WORDS describe what we learn about the following characters from 1.3 (at least a sentence).
    • Witches (consider as one character)
    • Macbeth
    • Banquo
    • Ross
    • Angus
  • Outline the major plot evens in 1.3 - What happens?
  • Explain the conflicts introduced in 1.3.

Character Description
Witches: Has magical powers and has features of men (beards).
Macbeth: The thane of a king. Very brave and to be soon a king.
Banquo: His son will become a king.
Ross: Sent by the King of Cawdor to honor Macbeth with the title of the thane of Cawdor.
Angus: Says the thane of Cawdor did something bad so was fired.

Major Plot
1.3 starts with the witches talking about a sailor's wife and how to revenge her. Soon, Macbeth and Banquo comes and the witches go to greet them. The witches tell them their prophecies. At first, Macbeth and Banquo are hesitant to believe but soon, Ross and Angus comes to prove part of the prophecy to be true.

Conflict
There is real conflict. Something close to a conflict would be whether not the witches should be trusted.


1. Read Macbeth 1.5 and 1.6 and answer the following pages on your "Macbeth Reflection" wiki page

      • What do we learn about Lady Macbeth in these scenes?
We learn that she is very ambitious; even more so than is Macbeth. She is very careful with hiding her evil thoughts. We can see this in section 1.5, line 51.
      • How might Lady Macbeth answer the question “What is the meaning of life?” Explain your answer.
Lady Macbeth may answer that the meaning of life is to achieve wealth and power. We can say this because she is obviously willing to commit a few crimes to make her husband a king. (Section 1.5)

      • Identify and write out two of Lady Macbeth’s lines that are particularly striking. Explain why you selected the lines.
"O, never Shall sun that morrow see!" (1.5, line 51)
"Leave all the rest to me." (1.5, 65)
Both are particularly surprising because it directly shows the readers that she will commit a murder. I was surprised that she would be more ambitious than is her husband.
      • Identify one significant word that Lady Macbeth uses in 1.5 or 1.6, and define both the denotation and connotation of the word. Explain why you think the word is significant.
The word "Book" has both a connotative and a denotative meaning in this section (1.5, 53). The denotative meaning is the object, a book. The connotative meaning invokes a sense of innocence and negativity.


I believe that Macbeth changed his mind because of Lady Macbeth. Although Macbeth had some ambitions, his character was not corrupted enough to commit a murder for his power. We can even see this when Macbeth states that he has changed his mind and that he will not commit the murder. However, Lady Macbeth comes along and persuades Macbeth that the plan is perfect and that there will be no consequences. Therefore, although Macbeth had some fault in the decision, Lady Macbeth was mainly responsible for Dunkan's assassination plan.

- Preparation in Postit Notes

After the discussion, I developed an interesting idea about how Macbeth could have already had the ambition to kill the king, but that Lady Macbeth was just an helper to this assassination plan. However, I retained my belief that Lady Macbeth was the major factor in persuading Macbeth to kill Dunkan because the fact remains that Macbeth decided not to commit murder when Lady Macbeth convinced him to. The plan that Lady Macbeth came up with was significant in convincing Macbeth to change his mind.




  • How does Macbeth react to the killing of Duncan? Why does he react this way?
Macbeth is regretful of the crime he has committed. He starts seeing imaginary things, He is haunted by nonexistant sounds. He acts this way because he is overcome with the guilt. He was not a character to commit murder. His character was too soft to do such a coldblooded act. He was not able to pray to god because he sensed his guilt.
  • How does Lady Macbeth react to the killing of Duncan? Why does she react this way?
Lady Macbeth acts cooly and focuses on getting rid of suspections. She acts this way because she was a character to commit murder. "Consider it not so deeply." 2.2 Her reaction reflects her cold blood.


2. read 3.5 and 3.6 and post the following:
  • Write a one sentence summary of each scene. (post on your MR wiki page)
3.5- Hecate gets angry at the three witches for telling Macbeth his fate and gives them orders.
3.6- Lennox and the lord have a conversation about the current whereabouts of characters.
  • In 3.6, what suspicions does the Lord have about Macbeth? (post on your MR wiki page)
Both the Lord and Lennox believe that Macbeth has committed the murders. They call him a tyrant and hope that they would be rescued from the power of Macbeth.

3. reread 4.1
  • What does Macbeth want in this scene?
Macbeth wants to know the secret behind witches and the truth
  • What stands in his way?
Macduff stands in the way of Macbeth's royalty and survival.
  • How does Macbeth attempt overcome the obstacles in his way?
Macbeth decides to murder Macduff.
  • What do the Witches want in this scene?
The witches are trying to make Macbeth even more baffled and timid about his prophecy.


Read ACT 5 - Yes, the whole thing.
on your MR wiki page complete the following:
  • (If you are a MALE answer the following question) How has Macbeth transformed by the end of the play?
    • find two pieces of textual evidence from Act 5 to support your ideas
    "She should have died hereafter; There would have been a time for such a word." (Macbeth, 5,5,17)
    • Macbeth has changed to a degree that his wife's death doesn't even surprise or sadden him. He has become indifferent to deaths and has lost a meaning in life. He has become cold hearted and has gone mad from trying to keep his power. His lust for power has blinded him of all other values. He also talks about the fact that he is no longer afraid of horrible things because his life has turned into a big horror story. Macbeth seems like a completely different character during this scene.
  • "Thou wast born of woman but swords I smile at, weapons laugh to scorn, brandished by man that's of a woman born.
    • Macbeth, after his second encounter with the witches, fully trusts their prophecies. He now has no fear for men born from a woman. He becomes arrogant and doesn't fear death. When Macduff explains that he was not born from a woman, he instantly loses the confidence and starts to fear death.




1. On your MR wiki page, answer the following questions. Provide at least one piece of textual evidence for each answer. (This assignment will provide some ideas for the final paper.)
  • What is the main idea of the story?
The story Macbeth, is about a thane named Macbeth who goes through a series of tragedies which eventually leads to his death. At the beginning of the book, Macbeth is told his future by some witches; they tell him that he will become a king. Soon, Macbeth murders the king, Duncan, in order to fufil his prophecy. However, as Macth quotes "Blood will bring blood (3.4 ,128)," Macbeth continues his massacre to maintain his power and authority. In the end, the resistance builds up and succeeds in overthrowing Macbeth.
  • What can we learn from these characters? Select one or two characters and explain your answer.
We can learn from Macbeth that power is a burden. Knowing one's future may not be a good thing. Finally, get a good wife.
Murder is not only painful to the victoms, but also to the people who commit murder.
  • Do you see recurring images, words, deeds, situations, consequences, mistakes? Select two items from the preceding list and give examples from the play.
In the story, I see recurring references to cleaning the blood from one's hand. Both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth wish to wash off their wrongdoings and guilt. An example is when the doctor and the gentlewoman oberve Lady Macbeth continuously rub her hands in her sleep muttering things about getting the bloodstains off (5.1, 25).